Season Premiere. Season 2 premiered on July 13, 2016. “eps2.0_unm4sk-pt2.tc” is the second episode of Season 2 of Mr. Robot, and is the second part of a two-part episode. It was broadcast as the second half of a 90 minute episode on July 13, 2016 with limited commercial interruptions, and was followed by the after-show Hacking Robot. It was rebroadcast as the second of two back-to-back episodes on July 14, 2016.

Contents

Plot

Synopsis

Origin of the Title

In bitwise operations, a mask is data that turns bits to 1 (on) or 0 (off). It is a simple operation used to put images over a screen, such as moving video game images in early games such as PacMan.

The extension: The .tc extension indicates a file has been encrypted with TrueCrypt. True Crypt was a freeware encryption program used for on-the-fly encyption. It was discontinued in 2014, following issues with unfixed file security problems.

Summary

With E Corp's banking systems made unusable, Scott Knowles accepts fsociety's terms of taking $5.9 million in cash to Battery Park for the ransom. When he arrives at the park he is instructed to burn the money while wearing an fsociety mask. Angela continues up the ladder at E Corp, seemingly content in her new corporate position, and appears to abandon the lawsuit. Joanna receives a gift on her doorstep, a music box with a phone hidden underneath, but misses the call. Elliot discovers he has been acting under Mr. Robot's influence while he thought he was sleeping. A man named Brock murders Gideon, who had earlier threatened to report Elliot's suspicious behavior at AllSafe to the FBI and agent Dominique DiPierro. Elliot wakes up from a dissociative state on the phone, greeted on the other end by Tyrell.

Episode Notes

The government officials Phillip Price meets with are Janet Yellen, Chair of the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System; Jack Lew, Secretary of the Treasury; and Mary Jo White, Chair of the Securities and Exchange Commission. Together, they are the three highest-ranking financial officers in the United States.

Brock, the man who shoots Gideon, refers to him as a "crisis actor". Crisis actor is a term favored by conspiracy theorists to describe a participant (actor) in an event they believe is part of a larger conspiracy to further some governmental interest. Brock would have been motivated to kill Gideon by the belief that Gideon was playing a role as part of a larger conspiracy to destabilize E Corp customers' finances in furtherance of some corporate agenda.

Technology

Music

"Game, Set, Match". Performed by Glitterbitch. Playing softly as Scott Knowles arrives at Battery Park with the $5.9 million.

"Take Me Home". Performed by Phil Collins. Plays as Scott Knowles waits for the pick-up, takes the delivery and burns the money.

Theme from The Parallax View. Composed by Michael Small (1974) for the film of the same name. Plays as Philip Price ends his meeting with the Feds. The Parallax View tells the story of a political conspiracy covering up the assassination of political figures and the reporter attempting to uncover it.

“Bull In The Heather”. Performed by Sonic Youth. Plays in Angela's earphones while working at Evil Corp.

"Till We Meet Again". Performed by Gladys Rice and (1918). Plays as the episode ends. The song was written during World War I, and tells the story of a man saying farewell to his sweetheart.

Trivia

The online Mr. Robot community has exploded with theories about where Elliot is. The two dominant theories are that he is in prison or that he is in a mental institution, supported by his daily routine, his eating his meals with the same person on the same schedule, and particularly, the spartan layout of his room.

Easter Eggs

An Inconspicuous Man and an Inconspicuous Woman, who cameo in the background of many of Angela's scenes, can be seen behind her in the bar.

The dim room that Dom is standing in at the FBI office is the whiteboard room that will be revealed later. The word "Berenstain" can be seen among the investigation notes.